As coffee benefits the region and the nation, all-out efforts must be made to shape PyinOoLwin to be a coffee city based on a local business, similar to Cherry City and Flower City as a recreation area, said Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met coffee entrepreneurs and MSME businesspersons at the city hall in PyinOoLwin of Mandalay Region yesterday morning to discuss the cultivation of coffee and increased production of domestic products.
In the meeting, the Senior General stressed the need to develop the coffee business further, contributing to regional development as coffee is conformed to the PyinOoLwin region.
He recounted that project areas were reclaimed in the PyinOoLwin region to operate coffee industries so as to become PyinOoLwin as a coffee area. However, he unveiled that some persons who took the land plots for coffee industries did not operate their businesses with might and main. As such, the Senior General noted that the government needs to create chances for the businesspersons who are actually operating coffee industries in the region.
The Senior General expressed his hope for the emergence of increasing coffee production in the coming five to seven years if businesspersons systematically manage the cultivation and production of coffee from now on.
With regard to the cultivation of coffee plantations, the Senior General invited ethnic businesspersons actually to grow coffee plants and guaranteed them to allocate five to 50 acres of land plots for cultivation. Moreover, he pledged that the government would provide necessary assistance for those businesspersons in order to expand the sown acreage of coffee.
The Senior General also discussed the functioning of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), stressing that the manufacturing of foodstuffs must be operated on a broader scale with the use of large volumes of agricultural produce in the PyinOoLwin region. As such, it is necessary to encourage successful dairy cow farming and dairy product production in the region.
The Senior General underscored that MSME businesses must be operated not only in domestic industries but also at regional and national production levels. To do so, he continued that it is necessary to enhance manufacturing and packaging processes to have success so as to boost the State economy.
Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Min Naung and Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Khin Maung Yi discussed the implementation of coffee projects in PyinOoLwin region, revocation of permits of land plots due to lack of operating coffee cultivation and production, labour needs for expanding of sown acreage for coffee, annual coffee cultivation in regions and states, export process, and expertise of technicians for coffee businesspersons.
On behalf of MSME businesspersons, a coffee farmer and businesspersons reported on market sharing of coffee, prevention of pests at coffee farms, the need to allow building areas on coffee farms, construction of buildings for management functions in appropriate areas as they did not have a large area for coffee farms, difficulties in seeking permits from FDA for wine entrepreneurs and easing disciplines.
The region’s chief minister explained the issuance of loans from the state economic promotion fund to agriculture and livestock farms and MSME businesses and the fulfilment of the development of coffee industries.
After the meeting, the Senior General viewed the display of coffee products and domestic foodstuffs interestingly and asked about the market share of coffee and MSME products. Also present at the meeting were Council Joint Secretary member Lt-Gen Ye Win Oo, Council Member Lt-Gen Nyo Saw, Union ministers and officials. — MNA/ TTA
